Earlier this week, President Trump threatened to punish “illegal” campus protests. I posted some thoughts on my Facebook page. I asserted that the potential danger is that the threat will result in the stymieing of free speech.
Is this alarmist? Perhaps. Is it wise caution? I want to think so.
Examine Everything
One of the first problems to arise in any society is the inability to critique our own.
NB: this is especially problematic for Christians who know well the edict to “examine everything carefully, hold fast to that which is good” (1 Thess 5:21)
It seems today that if one is a Democrat, then everything Trump does is out of the pit of Hell. If one is a Republican, then Trump is the US’s savior (you have all seen the memes).
My aim in my FB post was to raise the flag of concern. I suspected (and I was correct) that some Trump supporters would shout, “What’s the problem?” After all, who wants a government that permits illegal protests (I won’t even bring up the January 6 “protest”—oops, I just did).
This is all good. But, as I noted in my FB post, the primary concern is, “Who defines what is illegal?”
Now, as long as we believe that the government means well and aims to protect us from abuses, then we are not troubled by this decree.
A move toward Fascism?
It should be noted, however, that the Nazis began their move toward Fascism by enacting simple, justifiable, and seemingly harmless laws.
One of the first was the Reichstag Fire Decree. In February 1933, the German Parliament (the Reichstag) was destroyed by arson. The new Nazi regime immediately claimed that communist infiltrators were responsible. And the next day, the Reichstag Fire Decree was enacted.
The US Holocaust Memorial Museum notes,
“Though the origins of the fire are still unclear, in a propaganda maneuver, the coalition government (Nazis and the German Nationalist People’s Party) blamed the Communists. They exploited the Reichstag fire to secure President von Hindenburg’s approval for an emergency decree, the decree “For the Protection of the People and State” of February 28, one day after the burning of the Reichstag. Popularly known as the Reichstag Fire Decree, the regulations suspended the right to assembly, freedom of speech, freedom of the press, and other constitutional protections, including all restraints on police investigations.”
All good. Well, maybe not: we know the rest of the story.
Am I saying that the US is moving towards Fascism? No. I am saying, however, that unbridled power is a threat to freedom and that even a democracy can be destroyed by it. We should never put our complete trust in those in power, and we do so to our demise.
Our best check on unbridled power in the US is our First Amendment right to Free Speech.
NB: I find it deeply ironic that the leading defenders of the present administration are often ardent defenders of the Second Amendment and the right to bear arms, even when those rights may cause serious harm to school children.
Silencing Protest
Let me be clear: I have no problem prosecuting illegal protestors. My concern is that Trump’s threat to punish illegal protests will silence many just protests.
Student protests have significantly impacted US domestic policy. Sure, some of the protests you and I may not have agreed with. But what makes America great is the freedom to utter such protests.
There is no question that protests must be civil. That is not my point. My point is that once a decree is issued that there will be stiff consequences for “illegal” protests, the inevitable consequence is that dissent will be stymied.
Students will be far more hesitant to protest, even for just causes, because they fear government reprisals. This is an abuse of power. Consequently, even a “good law” or one aimed at quelling “illegalities” can negatively hinder progress in a democracy.
“But those who are doing what is illegal should be in fear.”
Of course. But they already are.
The danger is the silencing of those who endeavor to protest justly. What if, for example, some students wanted to protest the deportation of a fellow American student on their campus who was deported by the stiff immigration efforts of the US? In other words, if the government abused its power and students wanted to protest. This is the nature of protests. They are a means of expressing dissent to a perceived injustice perpetrated by those in power.
“But they can still do so as long as they do so civilly and without breaking any laws.”
Agreed. But this response fails to hear what I am saying. The threat issued this week will only serve to silence just voices as well. But it is the cry for justice that ensures our freedoms.
NB: Throughout the Scriptures, it is the cry of the oppressed that God hears: “And the sons of Israel sighed because of the bondage, and they cried out; and their cry for help because of their bondage rose up to God. So God heard their groaning. . . .” (Exod 2:23-24)
Suppose our government goes rogue, even to the slightest degree, and our history says that this is to be expected. What avenue do we have to object? Near the top of the list is the right to protest.
Is the US heading toward Fascism? I don’t know. But if it is and we wait too long to speak up, it will be too late.
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